What to do on a rainy downtown Manhattan day during covid times? Pop into Essex Market for a stroll, bite, and shop to fill your foodie desires. This beautiful space reminds me of Time Out Lisbon where you’ll find loads of tasty local restaurant outposts but this time from the East Village/LES combined with a great place to do your weekly grocery shop thanks to their fresh produce, specialty meats & cheeses, baked goods, and they even have fresh flowers and little tchotkes for the home. This was my first visit to this new location which opened in 2019 but I used to patron the old location across the street during my NYU days so it’s fun seeing the 2.0 version. The space has an open floor plan with high ceilings spanning over 3 floors. Grab some food from one of the many food stalls on the main street level floor and head upstairs to find a table to eat at.

The main street level floor has all the restaurant stalls and food vendors including a Swedish snack shop, Cheese Shop, Butcher, Seafood Market, and of course various bakeries including my personal favorite, Café d’Avignon. Puebla Mexican Food even has a stall which used to my go-to, no frills Mexican spot when I lived in Alphabet City/East Village back in the 2000’s. It sadly closed in 2015 due to a rent hike so I’m happy to see them back in action! I’m also pretty curious about Shopsin’s quirky American eats and the Peruvian spot, Don Ceviche, so will have to come back for a visit.

Cafe D'Avignon. My favorite ham & chesse croisstant downtown.

Formaggio Essex. For all your epicurean dairy delights.

The downstairs is not to be forgotten!

Here you’ll find Southeast NYC, which carries not only your standard Asian grocery store fare but also unique finds like Nom Wah Parlour’s chili oil and Spicy Salted Egg Cassava Chips! They even carry Super Lemon and Super Coca, these sour-sweet candies I haven’t seen since my childhood summers I used to spend in Taiwan.

For your western needs, Alimentari Flaneur is a must visit. The presentation alone of everything makes my heart swell and reminds me of my 19yo self during my Florence study abroad days.

The most adorable shallot display. @alimentariflaneur

And of course, if you just need your regular groceries, make sure to pay Essex Farm Fruits & Vegetables a visit on the main floor. They have incredibly fresh produce and healthy pantry items to get you through the week.